


Massachusetts Witches, Ye Be Bitches- Signed Long John Silver

by YuffiesNinjaInsanity



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Abuse, Adult Content, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Disabled Character, Canon Era, Drinking & Talking, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure John Silver, John Silver Backstory, John Silver Tortured, John Silvers Past, M/M, Medical Procedures, Multi, Night Terrors, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reunion Fic, Running Away, Some domestic fluff, Suicidal Thoughts, The Author Regrets Nothing, Thomas Hamilton Lives, Violence, Vulnerable John Silver, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:14:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24830641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuffiesNinjaInsanity/pseuds/YuffiesNinjaInsanity
Summary: John has been abducted by witches in Massachusetts and the story starts with his escape.
Relationships: Captain Flint | James McGraw/John Silver, Captain Flint | James McGraw/Thomas Hamilton/John Silver, John Silver/Original Male Character(s), Madi/John Silver
Kudos: 13





	1. Freedom

Anyone else pretty much go nuts finding out that the actor who plays James McGraw is legendary Maggie Smiths’ son?! Oh my god I am still reeling and I see so much of his mother in him! So neat, I mean Maggie Smith, she’s been an actress her whole life! So cool!!  
Well enough with my rambling ;)

Summary: John has been abducted by witches in Massachusetts and the story starts with his escape. And takes place after the show. 

-

3 YEARS LATER

It takes an incredible amount of strength, literal upper body strength to haul his ass up and over the small but big enough brick wall that stands in the path between he and his escape to freedom. If you can imagine, John Silver was not one to just be manhandled, thrown in a prison like place for however many fucking months in that hell and expected to just do nothing about it! He has snapped.

He drops and tumbles to the ground then hobbles up and towards the dirt road, the sound of galloping is coming near. Whoever it was he was killing, no matter who, old lady or no, he is getting on that horse and getting out!

The hooves beating against ground gets louder as does Johns heart beating in his chest, so close, now he puts on the routine. 

“Oh, my leg.” He hollers loudly.

He moans some more. The horse whinnies to a stop and the soldier above hollers down but John pretends to be in too much pain. 

“I’ll make it worse if ya don’t shut it.” The soldier drops off the horse and walks over to John and finally kneels down. His fatal mistake.

John waits for the man to get close then lunges for his neck pulling the soldier down so John is now on top of the soldier and squeezing his neck with every ounce of his being. The man grabs his gun from his chest pocket and aims up and fires, the bullet blasts through the air and smoke goes everywhere but John has lasted this long his grip tightens and he can’t help but start chuckling in puffs of breath as he feels a surge of adrenaline and overtake his fear and that this is his last chance and this sad excuse underneath him will not get in his way. 

As he is riding furiously down a path through the forest, the sun shining down cutting through the leaves shading down on him, he feels calmer than he has felt in years like all his anger and sadness were gone and a numbness takes over his body.

He finally reunites with Hands and is dragged down into the dark depth of hell, grappling for any strains of peace out on the ocean hunting for larger and larger dangerous prizes. Never ending days of open ocean, open skies, risky battles, sometimes John couldn’t help but feel like throwing himself in the water. Take a leap and let his clothes weigh him down. Join his old crew mates.

He feels himself get hit across the face. “Focus!” 

John sits with his hands curled into fists and his jaw clicking. His rage was about to become unbearable if he can’t gain control of his own crew. Who else could knock sense into him anymore though when he was hungover? What was he to deserve better compassion than what Hands provided, these three years has been nothing but agony. Madi, and he feels himself getting hit again but it doesn’t hurt.

“I’m awake, Hands. I am” John says glaring at him. 

“I hope so, tomorrow we dock” He storms out slamming the cabin door.

John sighs and takes out a bottle of rum and drinks it from the bottle, that was Hands other problem with him. His drinking has been more excessive than late he admits, but that is Hands problems not his, so he takes a greedy sip. Then stares at the map in front of him running his fingers along the lines and dots that signified different places before resting on one particular spot on the map. Savannah. 

James and Thomas were far away from him at this point he had no clue where they could be or if they were happy. He knew that there would have never been another way he could have done it and if he were to go back in time… what could he have changed? He was just a simple man, a thief, not a god, not James.

He takes another swallow of rum this one going down smoother. Tomorrow was going to be a long day and his leg hurt like a bitch.

…

Madi wasn’t a woman to mess with, he shudders at her stare as he makes his way to her. She was hurt still from everything and he can’t watch anymore so he let’s himself be pulled back into the sea. Hands dragging him back away from her, telling him his mistakes, being a source of reason. He owed Hands, sometimes and other times he believed the man most definitely wanted him dead.

“Hands told me something interesting in a letter not long ago,” Madi asks and John sits back not fully aware. “Said you went missing for a long time a few months ago. Where were you?”

“Alls well Madi?” He rubs down his beard some. “It’s good to be home.” He smiles thinly. “And I wasn’t.”

“If not then what kept you away for so long? You can’t be so obtuse to think you can leave for so long and not let anyone know!” Madi snips heatedly getting close to him trying to get a good look.

John can see her hands trembling and the pain in her eyes, “I wasn’t captured, merely on an errand and it didn’t work out.” 

Madi puts her hands on his face. “Why do you lie?”

He takes her hand into his and places a kiss on her forehead. “I’ve missed you.” His voice husky and low. “Do you want the truth?”

She glares but stays silent waiting for an answer.

“I was in Nassau the whole time.” And now she’s angrier but that’s the best way to leave her he thinks.

And they go. Hands has him on a tight rope and they sail with the crew taking more ships and rescuing as many slaves as they can when they can. When they return with their plunder and new comers, he feels dread going back into the shores of Maroon Island and as he makes his way up into the house he becomes focused on the steps ahead of him, figuratively and literally. It has been a couple months since he last saw Madi but things seem peaceful here now.

But as he approaches her house using his crutches due to his leg acting up and taking a hit the night prior he feels trepidation. Knowing that beyond that entrance Madi could still be upset and unhappy with him. He sighs heavily hopping up another step, one day he should leave forever but he thinks painfully at how selfish he is that he can’t even do that for her.. He hobbles up the stairs a little slower than normal.

Flint is standing there with Thomas talking to Madi. He is admittedly shocked that they are there.

John turns to Hands who is already in the room with arms crossed and who looks back with narrowed piercing eyes. So he knew? That figures, John sighs, “Well aren’t you in a cheerful mood..,”

“John,” John looks at James and feels an overwhelming amount of emotion, so much regret and sadness, he wants nothing more than to embrace him, beg him for forgiveness.

“It’s good to see you both,” His voices grates out. “Thomas? Good to see you.” He holds out his hand and they politely shake.

Thomas nods, “And I you. I must say this place is very charming Madi.” 

She smiles. “Thank you Thomas,” but her smile is soon gone and John’s heart aches with the thought. He can’t remember the last time he saw her look like that, happy. 

“It is hard but we hope Maroon Island will remain home for as long as-“ Her voice fades out of Johns hearing as he picks up on another noise that begins pecking at his nerves.

The sounds coming from outside and sounds familiar to a crack of wood, or the chopping of. John tries to tune out the sound but all that rings in his head is the dense feeling of fear, the same as he felt in those slow moments when Vanes Quartermaster took the axe and brought it down.

A hand slaps his face and he snaps back to reality. Someone asks if that was necessary but he can’t distinguish who. He rubs a hand down his beard and closes his eyes before opening them again. Hands smacking him in front of the three people who would feel more likely deserving of delivering the actual blow did not help his shame at his display of weakness. 

James harsh voice snapping at Hands brings him back.

“Sorry about that I must’ve dazed off.” He clears his throat.

“Where were you for those 8 months?” James asks. 

John looks away from all of them and he knows why they are here now. “What is this?” He asks more to himself and gets up and tries to reach for his crutch but it finds it was moved. 

“What’s that?” Thomas reaches out towards Johns exposed chest. Hidden beneath the shadow of his shirt was a pink mark barely noticeable and hidden from view as John flattens his shirt.

“I really must be going.” 

“This is getting absurd John!” James yells simultaneously with Madi.

“John would you just-“ Madi goes over to the entrance and stands in front of it.

Hands walks over and lifts John up by the collar and shakes him roughly, “Get your shit together.” He storms out past Madi who was looking shocked as well at the violent show of force.

Thomas who has been quiet goes to John putting a hand on Johns arm to calm his flustered reaction.

John watches him leave while sitting down suddenly very exhausted and he’s with two of the most stubborn people. Thomas is an unknown variable. He politely asks for rum, and they all sit and start taking turns drinking before he starts. James watches him at first unimpressed probably thinking he was going to lie. Madi stopped drinking and Thomas was beginning to hang on his every word.

“I was docked in Massachusetts and unfortunately ran into a bit of trouble.” He starts. “I was only interested in trying to find out something about the slaves there. Only it quickly turned out,” He laughs into his bottle then taking a large swallow, “they said they thought I was a witch.” 

He distinctly remembers the burlap sac placed over his head and the feeling he might suffocate before they end at their destination. The hands lifting him up and hurling his body where it landed and was brought and dragged and hustled into a dark damp wet basement where another woman…

John shudders and takes another swallow. “My first thought was it was a joke with how I looked.”

They stare at him. “Are the witches in Massachusetts bad?”

“Witches.” Thomas scoffs.

Madi looks offended, “My family uses witch doctors all the time and they have cured many I know.”

“So you were in a cell for 8 months?” James asks trying to get the answer straight.

“I was many things for those 8 months, I was nobody like I am to you as well. I am just John, a thief, a liar, a pirate, a witch.” They all seem to drink at this.

“You pretended to be a witch?” Thomas asks trying to picture John pulling it off.

John smiles and rubs his beard, “Well like Madi said, I knew of witch doctors here. I thought they already thought me one… but if I were to pull it off.”

“And did you pull it off?”

John hides his shudder, “No. I did manage to get away after…”

Thomas looks stricken by that and James puts a hand on his thigh. 

“From what Hands writes me you are unwell and haven’t been since you returned.” Madi tips more rum in her cup then slams it on the table. John sits up straighter at that and laughs but it comes out more unhinged than happy.

“It could take some time.” Thomas mutters. John looks over at him and when Thomas looks back he can see the same understanding cross between them.

James looks at Thomas and understands, Thomas has been through 10 years of trauma and has his moments of nightmares and fits. He expected to see the same old Long John Silver unchanging and forever selfish but there is an emptiness in his eyes he didn’t expect to see and his loss of focus was frightening. Hands made a point to call out Johns name multiple times but after no response is when he hit John. It happened so fast and if that was the way John’s trauma was being handled then no wonder he was deteriorating. 

“Let me see this mark.” Madi brings her hand to Johns chest and to their surprise he does it without any arguing.

He brings down the shirt to show the shiny pink scar across his right side of his chest and along his shoulder. Since he received the burn this has been the first time in a long time it hasn’t hurt him so much, the skin still hurts when he turns or lifts his arm a certain way. 

“This is a large burn, they tried killing you?” Thomas can tell it must have hurt a lot. James is on his feet angrily looking at the burn on John and Madi retrieves some herbal leaves to have him place on it to help soothe it, she instructs him to apply it at night.

“They claimed I had the devils mark and they needed to purify me.” Close enough to the truth is all they needed to know, he feels like the small room is getting hotter.

“That is absurd.” Thomas huffs and Madi glares at him again. “He did have a mark there, I saw it. And they took it off you.” 

Madi runs her hand along the scar and remembers the faint discolored mark being near his collarbone is now gone instead in its place a painful mark of the suffering he went through. Her heart ached for him, she hadn’t known he was being tortured and if this was only one of things they did to him… 

“How did you escape?” James asks.

“It was by no means easy,” He takes a pause, “If I could have left sooner I would have,” He looks at James, “And that is no lie.”

Thomas places a hand on Johns shoulder causing him to startle from his chair. Madi’s eyes catch his for but a moment and John is taking another drink. They are all seated at the table, the sound of birds chirping out the window could be heard. The air thick with tension, waiting to hear the rest.

“I did what I do naturally and pretended to do whatever I could to survive but they,” John takes his fingers and rubs them against the grooves of the wood lost in thought. “But they knew due to them being witches themselves. After months of them,” John chokes on his words, and brings the rum to his lips. 

'After months of them,’ what?! James had wanted to shout but the looks Thomas kept pinning him with made his chest ache with guilt. He can’t press John to spill his traumas. James looks over at Thomas and Madi who are both looking worried. Eight months of being with witches, what can that possibly entail?

He shakes his head and laughs, “If I thought the crew on the Walrus was bad I knew wrong, it was as if I was in another world in that place. The worst part was…” 

John can almost feel their nails drawing on his back symbols with charcoal offering his body to demons. The smell of the herbs and wood permeating the room with the smoke so thick he couldn’t see farther than his outstretched arm as he laid on the floor. The hot oil burning his back as their chants got louder and louder with no care of being heard while in a mansion in a forest far from anyone or anything.

James could tell John was trying to at least try to tell them but it was as if it was impossible for John to ever make out the truth. As if John came out of a fairytale cursed to never speak the truth.

Thomas watches as John gaze loses focus and decides that sign means the poor man has had enough for the day. The man just escaped not even a full year ago and out of everyone Thomas knew how hard it was to get back to normal after so many days of torment.

“Why don’t we continue later?” He murmurs to his lovers. Madi shakes her head in disagreement as does James. James understands Thomas and where he is coming from but he knows as well as Madi that if they were to stop now they would never hear the truth.

Madi takes Johns hand into her hands from across the table. “What was the worst?”

John snaps his gaze back to her and his voice comes out harsh, “What? Oh,”

James puts his hand on Johns arm to meet his eyes as well, “What happened, John, just let it go.”

“I can’t” He whispers, “They knew so many things,” He shakes his head.

James frowns, “You think someone you knew had something to do with this?” He looks over to Madi.

John looks over at him like the thought never crossed his mind and he stands up and hobbles over to the window looking out before backing away. The three of them remain at the table not willing to move. 

“None of them mentioned it.” He whispers, “But I plan to do with this as I do everything else in my past and forget about it, please. I promise I will be fine.” John places his hand on Thomas’s arm with his head bowed. “Please.” 

It changed nothing for the three of them and as soon as John pleaded with them he was off and out the door with Hands dragging him back to the sea. Thomas watches James watch as they walk off with clenched white knuckled fists. 

“That man is going to kill him.” He growls to Thomas in a low voice, “Hands is not trustworthy.”

Thomas looks over, “I don’t know, for all the smacking he does to John he does keep him alive.”

“Where was he when John went missing then?”

James shoots Thomas a look and Thomas immediately shakes his head and waves his hands, “No, are you truly going to accuse the man of knowing or even go as to say he planned it? All the while he drags him off to the sea again? What would be the point?” 

Madi who was nearby was silently listening to the conversation and she hates it but the thought had not crossed her mind that this could possibly be revenge against John. Long John Silver had plenty of enemies who would ship him off to be gutted and hanged for a price. Paying for him to be tormented by witches didn’t seem Hands way of getting things done. The man had plenty of opportunities to kill John, but if perhaps he wanted John to only learn a lesson…

“John made his choice.” She says to them both and then walks off to write an important letter.

\---

Hope you guys liked this.


	2. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James is coming to collect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for staying tuned... John is a bit of a mess.

Onboard the Warspite the Captain slinks away into his cabin and shuts the door before going over to his desk and carefully sitting down to avoid jostling his tender leg. They grabbed hold of quite the haul today, over twenty barrels of rum, a few yards of silks and fine fabrics, and several dozen slaves.

John pulls off his wood leg and drops it to the floor with a thud and leans back closing his eyes. For John sleep didn’t come easy on any given night but he has been so exhausted just hedging around what had happened that he feels he could fall dead any time now, god take him. Weariness creeps in his veins as he forces himself to relax in the chair he’s sitting in. He gradually feels fingers and hands slide up his shoulders and down his arms, his body unable to move and it's getting difficult to breath. Panic begins to set in and he looks around to see a shadow in the corner of the room. John tries to shout as the dark hidden figure slowly makes its way closer. 

An older woman well dressed with dark eyes has something in her hands and moves forward. He can’t be back here, this is a nightmare, he can’t be back to this place! John is laying down on a cot back in a basement in Massachusetts and no matter how he tries to lift himself up to move to do something, he just wasn’t able to. Which was only causing more panic and sweat to drip. Please, come on, John can’t help but become frantic as his body refuses to listen to him.

“Flint.” She says with a Massachusetts accent. “You ask for flint.” She cracks the stone against each other and a spark flares. 

“Stop.” He remembers whispering. “Stop!” He tries to physically say again.

The woman cracks the stones again her face twisting into an unpleasant smile. She places a hand on his face and he flinches from her touch, it feels so real, why can he feel it? 

“Please,” He tries to plead with her. 

She stares into his eyes, her face too close to his.

“No,” Why is he only whispering? He wants to scream!

The woman hovers over his face her putrid breath choking him. “You ask for fire, you yelled for it, wanting. You must be a devil of some kind. Yes, you will be perfect.” 

“No, no I swear, that’s not what-“ She smothers his mouth with her hand and she gazes down along his chest. A chuckle escapes her and pinches the slight discoloration just above his collarbone. He breaths in heavily through his nostrils trying to not pass out.

“This is proof of the devils kiss.” Her finger pinches the birthmark more tightly causing him to yelp in pain. “We will have to get rid of it.” 

“No, no, no!” He couldn’t go through the pain again. “Please, stop!”

“John!” The womans face blurring with his name leaving her lips and fear grasps him like no other, she can’t know his name! She’s grabbing his shoulders and screaming at him and pain flares across his chest. “You deserve this!”

He wakes up alone and he places a hand on the scar on his chest, his skin distorted and ugly. Heavy footsteps has him turning towards the door, instead of Hands it’s surprisingly James standing there with a cup. He stalks over to him and places it on the desk gently before sliding it in front of John.

“You screamed all night.”

“Where’s Hands?” His voice cracks a little and he hides his shame behind the cup tilting to his face. Then shifting in his chair and rubbing his face trying to clear the eye gunk from his face does he realize he is feeling nervous. He’s still wearing his clothes from yesterday too.

“He’s tired of your yelling he says.” James says as he walks towards the ships window.

They were on board Johns ship, the Warspite, how James got on board unless Hands got them docked somewhere. They were’t moving so that was another sign. Why would James come see him? John quickly takes off his shirt as James eyes are occupied elsewhere and puts on another shirt. 

“Are we in Nassau?” He struggles to get his boot on and then proceeds to get dressed.

James turns and his eyes go wide as he nearly misses the numerous amount of new scars that now littered John’s body but can’t make out what they all came from as John buttons up his shirt and throws on a vest. 

“Those witches worse than pirates?” James asks roughly.

“Oh, absolutely! My charm could not sway those lovely ladies. So, how can I help you?” Johns smirks at James. 

“Well get your things you’re coming home.” James replies while walking over to him.

John freezes as he hears James say, home. Did he just hear right? This isn’t really what James means surely? This is a trick to get him to slip up, show weakness, he turns and looks into those wild captivating eyes. James gaze daring him to fight with him on it.

“I have work that must be done, a crew and Warspite is a ship I’m proud that I am Captain of and until then-“ John tries to walk out the door but James blocks his way.

“Hands is going to handle it. Madi already set everything up.”

John feels a mixture of dread knot in his stomach. “You can’t do that. The crew answers to me regardless.”

“John you don’t even like the sea so why are you fighting me on this.” James says flatly, eyes half lided and a snarled mouth. And there is Flint back from the dead in a split matter of seconds. “You are coming.”

James takes a step closer to John who shifts back to avoid him getting closed in. He frowns and turns around and walks away from James and looks out the window and at the view of the water. Everyone was alive and while he had planned on staying on Maroon Island with Madi he had not planned to be taken hostage, not planned for the way his mind couldn’t stay calm unless out on the open water. Since returning that is all he did was go out to sea with his crew and Hands. He kept busy trying to do all he could to help Madi with freeing and moving freed slaves while taking prizes here and there to pay the crew. 

What is confusing John the most is why after everything he did for James was he doing this? As revenge for the fact that John made James choice so now he’s going to create a coup to take him away from his men?

“John, tell me what you’re thinking.” James says. Of course, he has stayed silent for a while, thinking the best response.

He can’t fuckin run. He’s on this boat and his options are slim unless he can get his men to set sail in a way that doesn’t alert James, and apparently Hands is a backstabber. He licks his lips.

“Why?” Thats all he can muster to ask and his gaze settles out to the sea again unable to look at James face afraid of what truth it will reveal.

“You need help John and Hands can’t take care of you anymore.”

“Take care of me?” John whispers and looks over. Okay so maybe he had gone overboard with the drinking but most of the time he handled himself! And the screaming, he couldn’t help what he did while asleep so what did Hands expect him to do about it!?

James rapidly closes in and takes John by his forearms and holds him tight. John startles and feels his knees go weak and feeling just slightly out of breath. This had to be revenge, what else could this be? 

“I suppose if hitting counts, would you like to start beating me?” John laughs trying to move but James holds steady but then lifts his hand to Johns face who flinches.

“Not if hitting you doesn’t help.” James says angrily. 

“Hands thinks it does.” Johns whispers as James face gets too close to his. Their height difference has John forced to lean back and look up.

“It doesn’t.” James breath is hot against his mouth and suddenly they’re stumbling and kissing and sucking.

John can’t remember the last time he was kissed this way. The mind numbing pleasure of his lower lip being sucked and then his mouth is being ravaged with tongue and more sucking. John moans and his back hits the wall and he looks at James. James is with Thomas and they have a perfect life now, they can’t be doing this, not that John is moral but… James is reaching for Johns shirt with his fingers while kissing him again but John takes his hands firmly and stops kissing. 

“No, we-“ He breathes, “Thomas,” John says as the reason.

James gently smiles and shakes his head. “We already spoke and he wants us both home.” 

He goes to take Johns shirt again but John grabs his hands again and shakes his head.

“Captain, I” His nervousness makes him slip. “I can’t go back.” His lips quiver and he squeezes his eyes shut knowing how James will believe this as another betrayal of some kind. 

James stares at John as he shakes beneath him against the wall trying to contain himself with every fiber of dignity he had left in his marked body. He could see the fear and the change in John that he wouldn’t have believed if he didn’t come. Hands made John sound unravelled, shaken, thoughtless, reckless, but to see it written by a crude man and then to witness it in front of him was something else. The thought brings questions to him regarding how Thomas must have been after his time in the psych ward. 

“John, we must get going. Thomas and Madi will be waiting for our arrival.” He tries again softly and kisses Johns forehead.

“My crew they really don’t want me anymore? Hands had it that easy?” John implores tearing up, he envisions Hands demanding everyone get over Long John Silver and get to work easily becoming Captain over his men. It’s devastating.

James continues to kiss John feeling like he is slowly crumbling his resolve. “We don’t want them waiting…” He says softly. He patiently waits for John to kiss back. Thomas instructed him that if this is to work James needs to be patient.

James starts to pull John from the wall they had comfortably pinned themselves against and begins lightly tugging John towards the door. Kissing him all along the way. Once they get on the island of Nassau and they find Madi and Thomas waiting for them with a horse and carriage does John heart begin race. John fell for James tender kisses almost forgetting the man didn’t really want him, didn’t really want this again, was just doing what he needed to get John to comply with their demands.

Home turned out to be Miranda Barlows newly rebuilt cottage and Thomas and James went inside immediately upon their arrival, the time they traveled was quiet. Madi walks into the vegetable garden, going down a row of overgrown plants before bending down and picking at them. John decides to follow her to the garden but keeps his distance.

“So what is this really about?” John finally asks Madi. “Was my Captaincy so bad Hands forced this on you and James to take responsibility for me?”

“What do you mean?” Madi isn’t even turned to him, she is focused on picking at some of the weeds.

“You didn’t want me around before.” He says staring at her back wishing he could just see her face. “You said you were angry and wanted me off Maroon Island, remember? And if I am going to air this all out, I honestly believe Hands is angry for you and takes it out on me. I also want to point out I am trying to free as many people as I can, so maybe if you want to give me my ship back…”

Madi chuckles at that a little then sighs.

“Yes, I was very angry, John. I had every right to be after what you did.” Madi’s voice is soft and almost lost as a slight wind passes by almost drowning her voice. John takes a gulp of air and tries to gage her, was she trying to get him to ask directly? But he won’t ask her that question lying on his tongue, forgiveness had to be given and he would not beg when he didn’t deserve it anyway.

“I guess what I am really trying to ask is,” He pauses and waits until she turns ever so slightly to look at him from her crouched position. “when do you expect me to leave here?”

Meaning this place, Nassau, Maroon Island, and maybe on to somewhere new. Like he has done all his life. Every several years something happens and he has to start over and he doesn’t know how much more energy he had left for that. To start all over.

“Whenever you want to leave John.” Madi says and stands up to look him directly in his eyes before saying. “I’ve forgiven you.” 

His breaths taken away and his eyes blur with tears, he turns away from her, bringing up a shaking hand trying to clear his throat and quickly compose himself. That was not what he was expecting. He tries to swipe the tears but more keep coming, something touches his arm startling him to look but arms curl around him and he finds his face in the crook of her shoulder and hair. 

John trembles and sniffles trying to simmer his weeping to a stop but he can’t. He sinks to the ground unable to comprehend why now she would want to forgive him. Her anger towards him was something he began to learn to live with and wasn’t the first time he had that kind of anger directed at him. But to actually be forgiven? 

John looks into Madi’s eyes, their beautiful brown sparkling from the sun. He takes her hands and holds it tenderly enjoying the feel of her soft skin. He remains silent and finally looks away and takes a deep breath.

James and Thomas walk out of the cabin to help John up off the ground and into the house. It was a long day so they help him to bed and leave him be for the rest of the night.

Thomas for a horrifying moment actually believed he was back in Bethlem when he heard the screaming. The sound of the horrifying yelling, he is out of bed with James and Madi already leaping and scrapping for a lantern and weapons. Half asleep it was anyones guess if they were being attacked but once in the room with John realization hit how bad his nightmares were.

John was pleading, his brow coated with sweat that glistened in the moonlight. His whimpers turn into stuttering words of mercy, and stop sharply before he is shouting again. Hands wasn’t exaggerating, in fact he had unsurprisingly under exaggerated the situation. 

James places a cloth on his forehead and Johns eyes snap open. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop. I promise Marie!” John pleads half asleep, eyes unseeing.

“It’s ok, John. You’re safe now.” James says soft as he can.

“I won’t scream again.” John looks at James but he looks like he looking through him. James takes the cloth off Johns forehead. Madi and Thomas quietly observing behind him careful not to make a sudden noise.

John stares at Flints face with astonishment, he is so close and looks so real so different from when he saw his Captain last. Marie had come to him that night to warn him of his actions he didn’t realize had such dire consequences. Such a sweet girl. The hallucination of Flint is still there so he turns to Marie.

Madi watches as John turns to her, “Must I repent for my sins?” 

She frowns unable to tell if he is still dreaming but looking at his eyes even with the shadows and the evening light she can see his eyes are out of focus not even on her really. She looks over to Thomas who is looking at James. Unspoken words pass between the three of them it seems.

“Punch your filthy stub fifty times.” Marie whispers then leans in. “Don’t make a sound.”

John shivers and tries to swallow, he is already hurting so much but this was where he was. He licks his lips and then raises his fist then slamming it down on his leg. The pain is so severe he couldn’t make a noise if he wanted. There was no keeping count through the pain and the stress clenching his face closed from stopping any noise from passing was exhausting. 

He feels himself held down and unable to move. Blinking he turns to see James holding his arms with a fearful look in his eyes as he stares down at John. It takes him a moment to realize where he was and who exactly was in the room with him. 

“I’m sorry.” His voice cracks. “I didn’t mean to wake everyone.”

It’s too quiet and no one is saying anything. Thomas walks over to the bed and sits down next to where John was laying. “John, are you aware of what you were just doing to yourself?” 

John freezes. Thomas fears for the man remembering the same kind of actions he saw in Bethlem and how those people seemed in a world of pain. It was sick to think the people who took John had warped him so much he was hurting himself, like he hadn’t really escaped their grasp. Thomas tries not to shudder as he has those same feelings when he has nightmares of that hell hole.

Thomas places a hand on Johns hand and he looks at him. “You hit your leg with your fist while you were asleep, you must be in pain.” 

John turns clearing his throat and lying through his teeth, “Sometimes it’s the only way to get rid of a cramp.” 

“Who were you speaking to? When you asked how to repent for your sins?” Madi asks and as if it were the curse itself that went into the air and grabbed hold of John. 

He quickly looks to Madi, “I wished it were you.”

“Silver,” James says leaning in kissing Johns lips like he was unlocking the truth. “What happened?”

John looks into James hazel eyes after the kiss, was it real? A small flutter in his gut and instinct told him it was… could he even begin to hope?

“I had dismayed one of the young girls before she went off to bed. Like I said my charm didn’t work well and well something to also mention,” John pauses picking at the bedding then turning to Thomas, “They drugged me a lot.”

John immediately looks down with shame coursing through him and he couldn’t understand why or where the shame came from but it was there. A weakness he felt that exposed the vulnerability he had in the situation when the story went from, John held hostage… to John held hostage and not knowing what the hell was happening in reality for most of the time.

Between the druggings, beatings, fuckings, rituals, more beatings, more rituals, different torments he never thought could be forms of torture methods. Pirates killed and went on their way, these women took more and more of him with every day passing. 

Thomas knew why John admitted it directly to him. “John,” He whispers, “I understand how you must be feeling. I think it is safe to say it is good you are here and no longer on that ship.” He holds Johns hand again. “We will be here for you.”

Madi sighs and looks at them all, “We must discuss this, lets retire to the other room.” 

They move to the living room to sit at the table and even though it was late they took out the rum and gave themselves plenty to start.

“I called out for James while I was out,” John says after a couple of sips of rum. “I called out for Flint, specifically. She took it as me being a devil child and somehow she discovered the mark and decided to burn it off.”

James looks startled, “That true?”

John nods and James laughs, “You’re still a lying shit!”

“I am not, that crazy lady, she claimed I sounded wanting!” He laughs and blushes when he realizes what he just blurted out. “She came at me with flint stones!”

James stops laughing and leans in close and kisses John who freezes but then slowly relaxes. The remarkable thing to John was after that laugh about what happened he never had that nightmare again. He felt a weight lifted, like he shed something heavy off his shoulders.

“They had the notion that my pain was an offering to the devil or whatever it was they worshipped…” He says thickly as he remembers the altar they had him lay in front of in that god awful room. 

“What did they drug you with?” James asks after a moment.

“Some weird stuff. I could barely move at times feeling numb and sedated. I am fairly certain the people I was living with had… doctors in the family.” John says. “The mansion was large, in the middle of the woods, two stories with many rooms I don’t believe I ever saw them all.” 

“You only speak of women. Were there any men?” Madi asks.

“None that I knew, but I was confined to a wing in the mansion on the second floor. So it is possible there were many I just did not get the wonderful chance to meet or maybe they were sacrificed to the Devil.” John says taking a drink of rum. “Probably sacrificed.” 

John takes another sip of rum and takes a good look at Madi. Just remembering how much Madi regretted what he did and how long she told him that he would never be forgiven that he had started to believe it. He betrayed her, took away her war… took her choice. He takes another sip. Now to finally be free, he smiles at her and she smiled back. A wave of joy pours over him before that pure feeling disappears and left he feels hollow again. 

“When I was in Bethlem there were men who would hurt themselves all the time.” Thomas whispers. “It was like seeing a disease spread. Many people were unwell there, most lost hope and of course being confined doesn’t help. So then they get angry and lash out and everyone gets fucked for it.” The words come out angry and Thomas is taking an angry sip of rum.

James looks down at his drink feeling guilt pour over him like the rum is nothing but making it worse. He never seen a man so absorbed in self hatred that he physically took it out on himself. Sure there were times but nothing like what he witnessed with John the night before. Thomas still traumatized from his time in the hospital was something he was going to have to ask him about later with privacy. Madi places a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and leans in whispering something in his ear that visibly calms him before going around to the lamps turning them off as they all go to bed.

The next day James and Thomas flitted about the room looking to see what they had. Apparently they didn’t live at Miranda’s place they just used it as a resting place before they headed to their permanent residence. 

“We will be heading to the Americas.” James says and watches the color drain from John’s face and immediately tries to fix it. “Not Massachusetts, we’re going to Florida.” 

John visibly relaxes and clears his throat, “I have better odds against hurricanes hopefully.”

“Don’t say such things!” Thomas laughs, “It is a wonderful cottage nestled far from civilization. We are pretty private.”

John turns to Madi feeling nervous with the talk of it actually happening. “You are coming with us, right?”

James stops his rustling in the cabinet and Thomas looks over from where he sat drinking tea. Madi takes a deep breath and runs a hand over one of the pieces of wood furniture, her brows furrow down in thought and looks around at the three men. She smiles then shakes her head no.

“I have too much work ahead of me here and I care for my people too much to leave.” She takes a sharp breath, “But I will visit.” John pulls her in a tight hug rocking her.

“You need to recover to help me with this fight, John. Sleep and eat and take your herbal medicines.” Madi holds back tightly.

“Madi, my ship is still in the harbor I am certain. This has all been comforting but,” John says glancing over to James and Thomas. “No offense but I don’t think after last night you are going to want to put up with that. Look at Hands!” 

James nods putting a bowl of washed potatoes down, “We must always be in touch, Madi.”

“Yes, James, I will be writing once I get settled.” Madi smiles, laughter flickering in her eyes and James.

Thomas smiles and looks at the potatoes, “Potatoes for dinner?”

“Anyone even listen to what I just said?” John asks.

“No.” All three of them respond simultaneously causing all of them to laugh.

Madi shakes her head and goes out to the garden and pulls up some fresh carrots and yams. There wasn’t much left from the garden most were picked at by the animals completely destroyed and it was well past season. She places the slim picking she got on the table for James to prepare. 

“Oh thank you,” He says.

Their last meal and last night together was bittersweet but the ship to Florida was going that next morning and it would be the last one going there for another two weeks. Madi already had get away plans with reliable men she knew from childhood to Maroon Island. Their goodbyes were quick but John tried to keep his eyes on Madi until the very end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So lol we are going to pretend that Florida wasn't ruled by Spain at the time... right... I think during this time it was under Spanish rule.. lol Probably thinking 'you can't do that' but I did. Just so people know, even if you hate this, feel free to let me know. Criticism is always welcome, my grammer and all that is shit I know and I am always grateful to those of you who take the time to leave kudos. I really appreciate it!


	3. Florida

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. Thank you for sticking with me! :D
> 
> Warning: please look at the tags, this chapter has triggers.

When they finally arrive to their destination it is actually a rather small boat that James has them take to a far off shore on Florida’s coast. Thomas’s father’s Will left the family and indirectly his last living son quite a large sum of money, money that he used to buy the beach and a few acres of property off the coast. 

They slowly pull around the coast bordered with palm trees into a hidden cove where they dock the ship. John is impressed by the secure location they managed to find one that had a dock built. They walk up the driftwood steps, along the path where tall beach grass sporadically patches the sand and shells glitter about. It eventually leads to the cottage far in the distance on top of an incline that over looks the whole shore and surrounding peninsula. He can’t help but turn towards the two who look positively radiant over his reaction. 

“Can you get any farther? How do you survive?” He asks as he continues the hike trying not to get his peg caught on anything.

“Well, we use the boat to go to the ports we want, stock up and then bring it here.” Thomas says. “And if you, oh see that.” Thomas leans in close to John and points his finger in Johns eyeline. “See that little stick in the water just down there?”

John is turned now looking towards the ocean and notices the fish net. “Oh yes, very good. Any luck with the fish?” 

“We have been lucky with our catch.” James says. “I tried to make a clam stew and it was decent.”

Thomas shoots John a look behind James back shaking his head looking sick.

John laughs and when James turns around he waves his hand.

“I can’t wait to try it.” Something in his voice must have sounded teasing.

“Your sure as shit not cooking!” James scoffs looking over at Thomas.

“Don’t look at me, James.” Thomas smiles, “I am but a helpless noble.”

John shakes his head laughing and deeply inhaling the sweet smell of ocean air. If cooking is the most worrisome task the three of them have to face then John thinks he can live with that. He takes Thomas’s arm with his free arm and walks with him the rest of the way to the cabin.

“So Thomas, you really never cooked?” Johns asks as they get to the door.

“I fear not.” Thomas laughs out. “James will have to be our chef.” 

They both look over at James moving some drift wood into piles for a fire later. 

“Hey, Chef!” John calls out instead of ‘Captain’ to see James reaction. James immediately snaps his head in their direction at the call and Thomas and John burst out laughing when realization hits the man.

….

They sit in the chairs in the living room, Thomas settling down in a large wicker seat near the open window and James taking a seat near their book shelf while John sits in a chair placed in front of the fireplace. The windows are wide open and candles are lit, the sound of the ocean waves crashing just white noise by now. It’s late at night and Thomas opened the conversation with the liner,

“We ought to get to know each other better.” Thomas said after they were settled with wine in hand.

John inwardly sighs, of course he was expecting this, of course. He looks over at Thomas and tries to smile in a polite way but he knows it’s only coming out as a grimace.

“Let’s start with you first.” John says.

“To make it fair, I decided we pick sticks.” Thomas says prepared. 

John looks at James a sense of foreboding because he can tell by James tense shoulders that this whole this is a damn set up of some sort to what he isn’t sure. It never ends well when he tells people and so he doesn’t and the weight that holds him down keeps there until something else tragic happens and he keeps moving. Now he is forced to be still and share his soul?

“John?” Thomas touches his arm.

“I’ll go first.” He says nervously but looks at neither of them and then decides to turn his chair around facing the wall. John sits there and hears them try and tell him to turn around but he doesn’t.

“The truth… is often times I try and never think about it if I can help it and I block out any chances that may have me revisit the things I went through.” He takes a long sip of his wine.

“My father was a poor man who got into trouble a few times but the worst of it was stealing bread from the market to feed us. My mother was ill and very rarely could she do anything and so I got older I was about five when I started helping my father clean chimneys. He would fix their roofs while I would crawl high into the chimney cleaning it.” John tries not to think of the fear of crawling in that tiny space that left scraps and scabs on his knees and elbows. His sick mother would appear gray looking in her bed while grasping his small dirty scraped hand in her weak one smiling at him,’Johnny, my sweet child.’ “Then my mother died one night in her sleep succumbing to her illness, I was nine. Shortly after my father died in a freak accident with a horse and carriage. I was put in an orphanage for about a half a year or so…” 

John sighs thinking about it and feels the heavy silence behind him and it almost makes him want to turn around but he can’t not when this isn’t even the worst of his life it’s only just the beginning of his shitty life. God. He takes a swallow of wine.

“A kind couple took me in, paraded me around after they lost their son in ironically enough a horse and carriage accident. They took affection to me over our similar tragedies. I was mourning my father and mother so I didn’t pay attention to their kindness and was mostly an unhappy child. I can’t really say I remember my time with them, I went to a small school for a short period and learned to write and read a little. But then she became pregnant a year later and I was sent back to the orphanage.” He laughs a little trying to lighten the mood but mainly because he is finally feeling the wine.

His leg isn’t in as much pain as it has been and with each passing day it seems to get better. John takes another sip of wine and hear Thomas cough quietly. James is pouring himself more wine.

“So I’m back in the orphanage and all the other orphan boys tell me thats the normal thing.” John scoffs, “I decided at the age of eleven and having a few months education that I could outsmart them all.” He laughs bitterly. “So I ran away from the orphanage and got myself caught in a street gang.”

“The leaders name was Carlos and had me steal, rob people, stab people he didn’t like, all sorts of things.” John feels like his story is losing momentum. He doesn’t want to go into detail about Carlos. 

“Carlos wasn’t a bad guy he had a hard life too and I could tell he was,” He closes his eyes trying to find a word to describe the man, “He always made sure I ate. The other boys in the gang were spiteful bastards that would turn on you the first chance they got… maybe they rubbed off on me. But no one questioned Carlos. You did what he said and he fed you.” 

“The man never wanted that life for me I could tell but he needed jobs doing and I had to repay him for everything. So he, he has me get a knife and sticks it in my back pocket. He goes to me ‘Juan when you see Antony you stick’em and stick his girl.’ When he said that I thought I couldn’t do it there’s no way.” He doesn’t look at them but he can feel their stares. “That’s when I went by Juan.” 

Thinking back to the girl, her name some simple one he can’t remember…was tall and pretty had wavy brown hair. John would lift goods off the street, sometimes getting an apple from time to time and he would give it to her on her way to the factory. He really liked her and he believed she liked him before Antony and Carlos had problems.

John looks down at his hands and folds them togethers and wrings them. “My mother was ill my whole life but my father always treated her right, I knew I couldn’t be able to kill her. I didn’t kill her but I went to see Antony. And straight away he ran and I chased him through the streets and he managed to grab me and beat me up.” John recalls the young man, in his blue pants, a dirty face and strong forearms slamming him into the ally after making him think he was running when really he was just leading John away. 

“Antony was angry for sixteen years of age and his specialty was his mean right hook. I was around fourteen or so at the time but I could run fast and hit hard but he still laid me out flat. Carlos knew I was not interested in stabbing Antony’s girl and not to mention the girl did twelve hour shifts at the factory, so she was already dead on her feet.” John stands up to get the wine but James is a step ahead pouring their empty cups with wine. 

“One night Carlos decides he has had enough and he stabs her on her way home one night killing her. Antony comes looking for me thinking I did it, which I didn’t know happened until he was in the middle of trying to kill me for it. Carlos comes in and stabs Antony and thinking everything was fine dropped the knife. I was so angry to find it true and so I killed him and ran away.” 

He takes a sip from his cup feeling the alcohol warm his blood and vivid thoughts from his past he usual never thinks about come forward in his thoughts. Those beautiful brown eyes of the girl Carlos killed, the way she threw her head back laughing at his attempt to juggle the apples he stole for her, the way Antony screamed in fury and rage at him thinking he had killed his girl. The pure agony. He shudders. Fuckin Carlos, he sighs.

“Then, I was abducted by these people. Th-they,” He clears his throat startled at himself for even stuttering, he didn’t feel nervous. The whole thing happened so long ago. However it isn’t lost on him it may be due to his last abduction.

“You want to stop, John?” James asks softly having gotten up and is now putting a hand on johns shoulder, he stiffens not having heard him.

“I have to go on.” He says quietly and takes a sip of wine. James sits back down.

“John, please turn around.” Thomas asks in a soft voice then is up kneeling next to his chair looking up at him. “Please, it’s killing us to see you like this.” 

John looks down and takes a deep breath and nods and stands up swaying slightly. Thomas grabs his arm and steadies him before flipping the chair around quickly then helps John sit before them once more.

He quickly looks at them both catching their eyes so brief just to acknowledge them before looking down at the wood floor. James looks miserable as does Thomas so that was a bad idea. The quick thought he should have lied crosses his mind.

“I was in a scuffle I can’t even remember what it was over, most likely robbing someone or stealing something. Then all I remember was being tossed in a horse and carriage.” He looks up at the sound of James clumsily tripping over his feet as he attempts to quickly make his way to John. 

“Have enough to drink James?” Thomas laughs and the tension in the room breaks a little.

James huffs out a laugh but remains serious as he stands before John slightly swaying. It’s still early and they already finished two bottles of wine.

“Are you sure you want to continue?” James places a hand on the crook of Johns neck. John feels himself leaning into his touch, James hands rough and tender he places his hand on top his. 

“If not when?” He asks. When will they expect him?

“We have the rest of our lives John.” Thomas says walking over to them as well. 

John feels tense because he hasn’t got to the parts, the ones where they will think differently of him for it. If he doesn’t tell them now and they find out later and hate him won’t that be worse? 

“I’ll continue,” He stands so he can stand equal to them instead of them looking down at him sitting. “I may need some water.”

They all switch to water.

John bites his lip and then caresses his beard in thought, “It has been a while since I was first abducted but some traumas are hard to remember. I remember them dragging me to a room and undressing me of my clothes and forcing other ones on me. They cut off all my hair and washed my face. Then I was being handed to this man who brought me home with him.”

John looks over to the window looking out but he can’t see anything it’s too dark. 

“His name was Hernando and he bought boys like me for his very own tobacco smuggling ring in his house and he had us doing a lot of things.” John sighs and closes his eyes remembering the potent smell of cigar smoke.

“There were big bags of tobacco from all over around his house and down in the basement he would sit in his chair facing us with his cigar.” John grimaces. “He was a despicable man, abused the lot of us, beat us, branded us so if we got caught he would know our identity. I would bag over a hundred handful sized bags of tobacco, measuring the amount before packing and he would count how many we had before sending us out to make the money.” 

“He was a heavy smoker so the room would fill with smoke.” John takes a gulp from his cup and grimaces remembering it’s water. “He played a game where if any of us coughed from the smoke, you know while we were bagging his tobacco, he would come over and give us a choice. Get whipped or be a whore and there was no real choice. Did what he wanted.”

John remembers how Hernando held him down and took a hot poker and branded his upper thigh. ‘You run, I’ll find you. Ask the others, I always find you.” John remembers being so blinded by the pain that he could do nothing to fight the man off as he lowered his drawers.

He rubs a hand over his face and turns his cup in his hands. “He raped me. It was my first time and wasn’t the last. He would feed us and I think that is really why we returned when he let us off the chains.”

“How old were you?” James asks softly.

“Fourteen or Fifteen.”

“How many other boys were there?” Thomas asks suddenly feeling like they should go back to the alcohol. 

John thinks for a minute, “I was there a while but our most was five and least was three.”

“Why didn’t you run?” James asks his voice thick and cracking.

“I was still young and I blamed myself for Carlos and the girl and so very tired and hungry at this point. I had more of an epiphany than a breaking point. That as I got older and smuggled more I knew Hernando was only just a man, and I could always kill him.” John shrugs.

“What ended up happening to him?” Thomas asks.

“I couldn’t say, one day he was gone, never came back. After a few days it was apparent and there was no food so we fled our separate ways. By this time I was around eighteen..” so.. John for the first time ever really thinks about how long he lived with that horrific man.

“Oh wow, yeah, I was with him for four or five years then.” He takes a long sip of his drink. 

That was longer than he thought he did. “Then I started hopping onto cargo ships and John Silver was born and by then I already had an idea of the ship life from the people I would often smuggle tobacco to. I even had several of those I helped smuggle tobacco for helped me jump onto some of their ships.” 

“I kept hopping ships until I ended in Nassau.” John looks over to James.

“You said once you didn’t think anyone you knew set you up in Massachusetts… do you sincerely think that?” James asks.

John thankfully decently tipsy doesn’t startle as badly at the thought.

“I haven’t thought of it since.” John says stiffly. He doesn’t want to think of it if he is honest. “I thought it was more the drugs messing with me. I saw you there several times, I thought they got you too.” He laughs wetly, tears suddenly streaming down his face. “I’m glad I am here, thank you, both of you.” 

The tears cause both men to stand and sway over to him. James kneels in front of him and Thomas kneels to one leg, his other too stiff.

“We are glad you’re here.” Thomas says whispering. 

John stares up into Thomas eyes, the same tired eyes you see when people go through too much. Between the booze, the dim candle light and the mental exhaustion from telling the truth John was ready to call it a night. 

“So is your real name John?”

“Ay it may be…” John smirks at James who is leaning closer to his face.

“You’re not going to tell me, after all this?” James asks then places a soft kiss on Johns lips.

John leans into it but only briefly before James is pulling away, damn him.

“A man needs to,” James kisses him lightly again.

“to-to have his secrets.” John says breathily still woozy from the kiss.

James lips are hots on his this time and John almost loses control before he feels Thomas beside him. Not thinking he takes Thomas’s hand in his squeezing it as he makes out with James.

They break apart to breath. 

“It is John.” John laughs. 

“You’re such a shit.” James looks up at Thomas’s chuckling, they meet eyes both joyous for what feels the first time in ages. 

They all make their way to the beds and fall asleep immediately.

Morning brings a small fog rolling in with the soft rolls of the ocean waves. The sky a soft pink and yellow as the sun makes its way up. John gets out of his bed and takes a note around the room, he has a window and a dresser and lamp. He didn’t really bring anything except for a small stash of gems. 

John notices how quiet the cabin is and realizes that Thomas and James are still sleeping. Trying to be quiet with his peg leg he makes his way to the door and opens it to take in their front porch view. He takes a seat in one of the chairs and notices a flock of birds gathered around something dead on the beach.

“Despite being far from anything we do have a lot of entertainment here.” Thomas quietly says as he comes out to join him on the porch with two cups in hand of tea.

“Thank you,” John takes the tea grateful, “It feels nice being out here.” 

Thomas nods in understanding. “It’s nice to feel safe.”

John looks over at him, “Yeah.” 

They drink silently and watch as the birds disperse from their meal when another larger bird comes by attacking the other birds for the food. Thomas goes into how when Miranda and James lived in England Miranda would throw bird seed on the two of them while in the park, just out of a need for a laugh, the massive amount of pigeons that would come for the birdseed was hysterical. 

“The bird seed would stick to James coat and so the pigeons would keep coming after him all the way home. We were in hysterics the whole way… the whole night actually.” Thomas sighs thinking back, still watching the birds on the beach but his mind far away.

James comes out of the cabin and looking like he just woke up. “Want to check the fish trap?” 

Thomas comes out with a pair of crutches and John takes them wide eyed. “Where did these come from?” 

“We’ve had them in case.” 

They make their way down to the beach where there is a fish net thats placed more at an inlet for more fish to get caught. Thomas and James pull the trap out of the water with a decent amount of fish. 

“This kind is very good!” Thomas points to a particular fish. “No idea what it is however.”

John smiles at his eagerness. James grabs a conch and tosses it up to him, “these are great, too.” 

“You know how to cook these?” John asks catching it and looking at the large conch shell. 

“It’s very easy, we boil them. These are also good but we got enough I think.” James says pointing to another sea urchin.

“Ay, Chef.” John nods.

John hears a splash and looks at the water to see a gray dolphin with several scars swimming by and coming up out of the water to laugh at them. James tosses the dolphin a fish and it catches it. 

“That’s… incredible!” John breathes out in wonder and amazement as another gray dolphin makes its way over and starts to play for James attention for a fish from their net. “They’re coming right to you.”

Thomas laughs and tosses the dolphins another fish. After they haul their load of fish to the cabin in their net baskets they settle in the kitchen for a noon cup of tea with a dash of rum. The table has a spread of food laid out from bowls of nuts and berries to some cheese and cured meat.

“Have you thought of owning some chickens?” John asks them.

Thomas shoots James a knowing look.

“We were, in fact Thomas has been mentioning it, we should get some.” James agrees. “But you can’t be naming them Thomas.”

Thomas scoffs, “Please, of course not! I know better than to name our dinner.”

John blanches. “Well surely you can name the Rooster…” 

James laughs and pushes Johns arm, “We will name the Rooster, Silver, for its loud mouth.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that you like this mouth!” John smirks catching James in a kiss.

Thomas laughs, “Then it is settled, the Rooster will be called Silver!” 

“I’m not sure I like the both of you ganging up on me.” John goes to Thomas. “Are we planning on eating Silver after he is no longer of use?” 

Thomas takes John’s tucked in shirt and untucks it. “Well I don’t know. James, have you ever had Rooster?”

James gets up from his seat and saunters over to them both with his hips swaying ever suggestively. “I have and it is very delicious.” 

Thomas leans in closer to John and takes his hand moving Johns hair away from his face while taking the side of Johns face in his hand he brings his head down and kisses John softly. John moans and kisses back then backs away. He looks over at James who is watching them eagerly while shifting himself in his pants.

“He is very delicious,” Thomas chuckles and begins to unbutton Johns shirt.

John grabs hold of Thomas’s hands and leans in kissing Thomas some more eagerly but still holding him still. James comes over and starts kissing John’s neck and he jerks upright at the sudden tickle at his neck from James’s beard. 

“You’re both pampering me,” John laughs breathily and releases Thomas’s hands and they go right back to his unbuttoning his shirt. 

Thomas has unbuttoned three buttons now. James feels John begin to tense under him and he stops and looks at him. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think I should take my shirt off.” John says and awkwardly smirks while whispering, “It will ruin the mood.”

Thomas has stopped on the last button and has hesitantly looked at the shirts open gap that shows Johns marks and scars, the rest hidden. Thomas unbuttons the last one looks at John then at James behind him. 

“Then it is best we see it now, perhaps?” Thomas leans in and gently kisses John. “We are here for you. Okay?”

John nods and he lets them helps him out of his shirt and James and Thomas have to stop themselves from flinching, ripping themselves away from John, and take the next boat out and start a war on Massachusetts. 

James hands shakily pass over the numbers of different markings all over Johns chest, torso, everywhere. There are faded lines scarring Johns back that he never took notice of before that were probably from the whip to his back. It was only by some unknown reason that they didn’t touch Johns face. He could make out other burn marks, whip scars, but some scars he couldn’t tell what they were from or how old they were. And others looked too fine, too surgical. 

“What did they do to you?” James feels himself shaking, Thomas places a hand on his shoulder.

John knew this was a bad idea, “A lot of things, it’s over now right? James…” He murmurs.

Thomas lets his finger tracing over the scar where Johns kidney should be. “They must have been organ harvesters. You said they kept drugging you. This scar has suture marks, look James,”

Johns face goes white. “I know, I just,” he shakes his head. “want to forget.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” James asks taking his tone down a notch. 

John looks at James and stares, “I need some more rum for this conversation but I thought you would know me by now.” He sighs and looks at Thomas.

“It truly scares me, thinking of it,” He feels himself shaking, “getting strapped to a table being vulnerable and naked. Thinking you were there… not knowing reality. Their mind games.” 

A bitter laugh escapes from John, “If Nassau could’ve see how far Long John Silver fell to become some specimen, not even human, an offering to the devil at night.” 

They don’t know what to say but they hold him and drink rum and let him ramble about their abuse and how they would torture him. Thomas began to heavily drink as John went on causing him to start sharing some of his daily horrors at the psych ward.

“They would have us get into these tubs with freezing cold water and these nuns would come over and scrub our backs with these long scrubbers that had a sharp brush. They wouldn’t use soap. I got so fed up I started to go to the basement where I avoided bath time.” Thomas laughed. 

“The medication was horrible but I missed you and Miranda so bad, James that,” Thomas starts to tear up and James grabs his arm. “I started to save it thinking if I take too many at once perhaps I could find peace with the both of you.”

John starts to tear up, they all do. Weeping for the suffering they had gone through. The three of them losing so much but once they settle down and the three of them are on the porch looking out at the sunset do they begin to calm down and feel relief.

James takes hold of John’s hand and Thomas’s and bringing it to his face kissing them both.

“We are finally free.” John says, leaning in and kissing James. 

Thomas smiles at him then to James, “Yes, we are.” 

James smiles at them both feeling overwhelmed suddenly at how true that is. They are free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what do you guys think? I really needed to get this out of my system Hahaha


End file.
